It Runs In The Family
by AllieSMG
Summary: Upon hearing about the plane crash, Lindsey Shephard refuses to believe that her brother, Jack, is dead. OC Fic - WIP


"Hey… "

Lindsey Shephard looked up sharply, as if snapping out of a daydream, before meeting her partner, Mike's eyes.

"You sure you're alright to be here, Linds?"

She forced a smile. "You see me every day, Mike. If I weren't fine, don't you think you'd know it by now?" She chuckled, resting a casual arm on the inside of the police car door, her eyes scanning the streets ahead of them.

"Yeah, that's what worries me," he grumbled under his breath. "I don't".

"I'm _fine_," She assured him.

Mike shook his head, "Alright, Linds," he conceded, "so, how was the pizza last night?"

She looked at him suspiciously. "Stop it,"

"What?" he laughed.

"Do you have to ask that every day?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Now that doesn't sound like me,"

"I don't eat as badly as you think I do," she pushed him playfully, "and nice change of subject".

"You_ wanted_ me to change the subject," he protested, and then paused, the car going silent for a good 2 minutes before either of them spoke again.

It wasn't normal for things to be so tense between them, but Lindsey had been different the last few weeks, especially since she had gotten the call about her father's death. It was always the same though. Tension, teasing, argument, jokes. They'd slip back into their comfortable partnership for just a moment, and then someone would say something that struck a nerve and things would be quiet again.

"Your father just _died_, Lindsey, a father you haven't been able to find for months. Your brother had to fly to _Australia_. I think that qualifies you for a night off," he said gently.

Lindsey was taken aback by his bluntness, but collected herself. "My father didn't take nights off, Mike,"

"Yeah, and-" Mike cut himself off before he said something sarcastic he'd regret about how he didn't want her to end up like him. "I'm here for ya, Lindsey. Maybe I wasn't there enough for Ana, maybe that's part of why she…just… talk to me sometimes,"

A pang of guilt hit her in the chest at the mention of his previous partner. She placed a hand on his for a moment, "Come on, don't say that," she shook her head. His eyes remained on the road, but she felt the tension leave his body. "I'm sorry, Mike, maybe I do need a day, but what would I do with myself?" She shrugged, turning to her right to look out of her window again.

"I know," he sighed.

The radio crackled to life, interrupting them. "823, please respond to a 502 near West Adams and Main,"

Lindsey grabbed the walkie from the dashboard, "Copy that," she said, then setting it back down and looking over at Mike, "time to work then?" she asked in an apologetic tone.

"Yeah, we're good," he nodded with a smile, turning the squad car in the direction of the call.

"There a problem, officers?"

"Sir, how much have you had to drink tonight?"

"Nothin', a-a beer bout an hour ago,"

"Your car was swerving between lanes, are you sure you didn't have more than that? Have you been taking any medication?"

"No, ma'am,"

"Are you aware that you're close to a neighborhood? You could have hit someone,"

"Listen, I'm fine-"

"I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the car, please. Can you get me your license and registration, sir?" She continued in a firm tone.

She watched him carefully as he rummaged in the glove box for his registration, her eyes not leaving him until he had the papers in his hands and the glove box closed. "Thank you," she said, taking the papers from him. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she motioned to Mike, letting her phone go to voicemail.

"Take over for me for a minute?" She said, pulling her cellphone out of her pocket.

'_One Missed Call From Jack'_.

"Everything ok?"

"It's Jack, just gimme a minute to make sure everything's ok,"

He nodded, "no problem," he said, then turned back to the man who had remained in his car.

Lindsey walked back to their car and held the phone to her ear, _"Hey Lindsey, it's Jack,"_ her brother's voice played into her ears. He sounded very overwhelmed. _"I might have to catch the next flight; I don't know what's going on. They don't – they don't want to let dad past customs…"_ his voice stopped for a moment and Lindsey heard a shaky sigh and then a gulp. _"Anyway, I don't know what's going to happen. Call me back when you get this if you can. If I don't answer, they might have let me on the plane"._ The message stopped.

"Can I have you walk this line for me, sir?"

Lindsey heard Mike's voice in the distance, but didn't move. She placed a hand along the top of the car door, closing her eyes and letting her head hang down for a moment. _Why the hell didn't I just take a few days off and go with him?_ She hated feeling helpless.

After another moment, she opened her eyes and let go of the car. She dialed Jack's number, but it went straight to voicemail. Hoping that meant he had been let on the plane, she sighed and put the phone back into her pocket, walking back to her partner.

"Shit," Lindsey spat once they sat back in the car, unable to keep it in any longer.

"What is it?" Mike questioned, worry in his eyes.

"Nothing, I'll talk with you later. Let's just bring this guy in,"

When they got back to the station, Lindsey tried Jack's phone again with no luck.

"You get him yet?" Mike leaned on the doorway.

"Nothing yet, I should just get home and wait for his plane to come in tomorrow morning. I'm sure it's fine,"

"Yeah, I'm gonna get outta here too. Keep me posted, Lin," he grabbed his coat and put it over his shoulder, giving her a small wave as he left the room.

Lindsey waved back and gathered up her things.

The next morning, Lindsey woke up to her cellphone buzzing incessantly on the nightstand next to her bed. She groggily turned the lamp on, squinting at the bright light and fumbling for her phone with a groan.

"Hello?"

"Is this Lindsey Margaret Shephard?"

"Yes, it is. Who is this?"

"Ms. Shephard, I'm with Oceanic Airlines. Your brother, Jack Shephard was on Oceanic Flight 815?"

"Yes, he is now, his plane isn't landing until later this morning," she was completely awake now, sitting up in bed, legs swung over the side and back hunched.

"Ma'am… Sometime last night, we lost all communication with Flight 815. We've been trying to restore communications for the past 3 hours, but we've been told to alert the families and prepare them for the possibilities of-"

"Of what?" she demanded.

"That the communications could not be restored because we lost the flight, ma'am,"

"What do you mean _'lost the flight'_?"

"I'm very sorry, Ms. Shephard. We will keep in touch with you and all the other families. We are obligated to tell you that in these situations, if communications are not restored within an hour or so, there is rarely good news," she continued.

"But it's still possible,"

"Well, yes-"

"No, it's still possible that there was a malfunction and the plane could still arrive on time?"

"Yes, ma'am," the woman conceded. "Will you be available to take our call in a few hours?"

"Of course, anytime," Lindsey said quickly, nodding her head enthusiastically. "Thank you,"

"Thank you, Ms. Shephard. We will be in touch".

The call disconnected, but Lindsey still clutched the phone to her ear, staring ahead blankly. _Not Jack too, please, not Jack too. _She could feel the lump in her throat growing but she forced herself to swallow it back, letting go of the bed sheets that she had been clutching and standing up suddenly, dropping the phone on her hazel eyes were filled with tears and for the longest time, she didn't realize that she was holding her breath. It was finally let out with a gasping breath, followed by an unintentional whimper. Her face contorted as she struggled to hold back tears, quickly wiping her eyes and rushing across the room, rummaging in her closet for her uniform.

She had to get ready for work.

_**A/n: What do you think so far? I still need to write the full story for my OC Diana, but this was just itching to be written. :D **_


End file.
